Medvl-bathng-lnks ­ 5/13/05
A set of web links to information on medieval bathing by Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos
Mon.
NOTE: See also the files: bathing-msg, Hist-of-Soap-art, p-hygiene-msg, Roman-
hygiene-msg, soap-msg, Tubd-a-Scrubd-art, soapmaking-msg, Lye-Soap-art.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have
collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date
back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These
files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate
topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous
information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save
space and remove clutter.
The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no
claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.
Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages.
The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information
is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: aoife at scatoday.net
Subject: [Aoife-Links] Three Men in a Tub? Medieval Bathing
Date: May 11, 2005 9:08:50 PM CDT
To: Aoife-links at scatoday.net
Greetings my Faithful Readers.
Well, I've done it. I've drilled a hole in the wall of the locker room, and now
you all can take a peek at Medieval People in their Baths, in a PG-13 sort of
way. If you thought your days of community showering were over when you
graduated from high school, be glad you live NOW, instead of then. The links in
the list below do carry contemporary images of partially naked medieval people
(waist-up, mostly), and they are a lot cleaner than you'd think (in more ways
than one). If you don't want to see these images, please don't look. However, if
you chose to look, and to read the articles, you might learn a few things. These
images are innocent, and would not have been deemed wrong during their time. My
10 year old daughter suggested this topic, and I'd probably show the list to her
(doubtless she'd find it a huge bore) since we are marginally progressive at our
house, but please use your own best judgment.
It seems obvious to most of us that most people in the middle ages liked to
bathe, though stereo types still abound, even in the scholarly world. Apparently
in some cases Bath-taking was a normal social occasion, with food and wine
served and the best jewelry and hats being worn in the community tub. While I
can't imagine that today, I like the idea of the hot-room, the cold room, and
the bathing chamber. And I love the idea of herbs and flower petals in my bath
water. Some of those scrub-brushes look intriguing. And I must try to find a
half-barrel big enough to soak in (no jokes about how big that barrel would have
to be, please :)
For what it's worth, here's this week's look at medieval baths, bathing and
attitudes about it. Of all the sites, only two poke fun (and then only a
little). So I salute The Bohemian Bathhouse Babes for having the guts to make an
alliterative pun (but just a little, in the title) and Baths in Medieval and
Renaissance Works of Art (for the "special naked friends" comment :) at what is,
when you get down to it, a ridiculous, slippery, and glorious past-time. But
I'll do my socializing dry and fully clothed, thanks.
Cheers
Aoife
m/k/a Lisbeth Herr-Gelatt
Riverouge
Endless Hills
Aethelmearc
About: The bad Old Days: Baths
http://historymedren.about.com/od/dailylifesociety/a/bod_baths.htm
(Site Excerpt) Most peasant folk could not afford a bathtub and used a barrel
with the top removed. The time and energy required to draw enough water from the
well to fill a barrel was prohibitive enough to make a full-body bath a rare
occasion. However, it wasn't necessary to immerse oneself completely to get
clean. Think of what you can do with some cloths, soap, and a bucket of water.
Gode Cookery: Tales of the Middle Ages. Daily Life (Note especially the
illustrations of medieval folk in the tub)
http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales08.htm
(Site Excerpt) Contrary to popular legend, medieval man loved baths. People
probably bathed more than they did in the 19th century, says the great
medievalist Lynn Thorndike. Some castles had a special room beside the kitchen
where the ladies might bathe sociably in parties. Hot water, sometimes with
perfume or rose leaves, was brought to the lord in the bedchamber and poured
into a tub shaped like a half-barrel and containing a stool, so that the
occupant could sit and soak long. In the cities there were public baths, or
"stews" for the populace.
The Gibraltar Museum: Moorish Baths
http://www.gib.gi/museum/baths.htm
(Site Excerpt) The original city of Gibraltar founded in 1160 by Abd-al-Mumin
would have included both private and public baths, but these, situated in the
Gibraltar Museum, date from 1333 and are contemporary with the Moorish Castle
Tower of Homage.
The Official Roman Baths Website (City of Bath, England. Note that there is an
audio tour you can listen to online)
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/
(Site Excerpt from the What's Included page) The Roman Baths is below the modern
street level and has four main features, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple,
the Roman bath house and finds from Roman Bath.
The History of Plumbing - Roman and English Legacy
http://www.theplumber.com/eng.html
(Site Excerpt) Testaments to the ancient plumber echo in the ruins of
rudimentary drains, grandiose palaces and bath houses, and in vast aqueducts and
lesser water systems of empires long buried. Close to 4,000 years ago, about
1700 B.C., the Minoan Palace of Knossos on the isle of Crete featured four
separate drainage systems that emptied into the great sewers constructed of
stone.
MedievalLife.net: bathing during the Middle Ages
http://www.medieval-life.net/bathing.htm
(Site Excerpt) Hot baths were very popular and most towns, as late as the mid-
1200s had public bathhouses. Wood fires heated the water, but this posed two
problems. First, out of control fires could consume several blocks of buildings.
And as the forests were depleted, firewood became expensive and the rising costs
of heating the water forced most of the bathhouses to close. Some tried burning
coal to heat water, but the fumes proved to be unhealthy.
Baths in Medieval and Renaissance Works of Art
http://www.geocities.com/karen_larsdatter/baths.htm
(Site Excerpt) So often, we think of the Middle Ages and Renaissance as a period
in which people never bathed -- yet this is not the case. Not only did our
ancestors bathe (and probably a bit more often than we give them credit for),
but some of them did so with "special naked friends."
Stefan's Florilegium; Tubbed and Scrubbed by Master Giles de Laval
http://www.florilegium.org/files/PERSONAL/Tubd-a-Scrubd-art.html
(Site Excerpt) Most surviving illustrations depict people sharing baths, and
usually men and women bathing together. Tables with food and drink are also
commonly shown either next to the tubs or placed across them, with the bathers
enjoying a meal as they soaked. One 15th century woodcut shows a single board
laden with food stretching across five baths. It is interesting to note that in
these bath scenes, total nudity is rarely depicted; usually men are shown
wearing a hat or linen cap, and often a breechclout (or just a strip of cloth
tied about the hips). Women are very often shown wearing elaborate headdresses
and necklaces; it is hard to be certain whether this detail is fanciful, or
depicts prostitutes in a provocative state of semi-undress.
*Note links at the top of the page for more bathing messages and articles in the
Florilegium
Toiletries Through the Ages
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2936/toiletries.html
Many images of medieval folks in the process of bathing.
Islamic Architecture: Bath Houses - A place to relax and bathe
http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Architecture/Architecture_Tombs.html
(Site Excerpt) Bath houses were not merely (only) places where believers could
fulfill the Islamic ideal of cleanliness. They were also places in which to
socialize and gossip. Some bath houses from the Middle Ages are still in use
today. Bath houses (called "hamam" in Turkey) had both cold and hot water baths.
Most bath houses were public, but some were private. In every palace there would
be a bath house (as shown in the Persian miniature below).
Bathing and Personal Hygeine in Ancient India
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/ancient/bathing/index.htm
A Series of Links on the subject
The Bohemian Bathhouse Babes
from the Wenceslaus Bible by Mistress Jadwiga
http://gallowglass.org/jadwiga/pictures/bohemia/bathkeepers.html
See also: A Short History of Bathing before 1601
http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/baths.html
(Site Excerpt) Like the nonsensical idea that spices were used to disguise the
taste of rotten meat, the idea that bathing was forbidden and/or wiped out
between the fall of Rome and the Enlightenment has been touted by many gullible
writers, including Smithsonian magazine. However, even the Smithsonian in the
person of Jay Stuller has to admit that "Gregory the Great, the first monk to
become pope, allowed Sunday baths and even commended them, so long as they
didn't become a 'time-wasting luxury' . . . medieval nobility routinely washed
their hands before and after meals. Etiquette guides of the age insisted that
teeth, face and hands be cleaned each morning. Shallow basins and water jugs for
washing hair were found in most manor houses, as was the occasional communal
tub..."
Castles on the Web: Medieval Bathrooms, baths and Soap. A series of messages
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/quest/Forum9/HTML/000150.html
Kamat's Potpourri: Medieval Indian Women engaged in Bathing (reproduced images,
not originals)
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/ancient/bathing/2206.htm
Medieval bathing
http://www.cityofbath.co.uk/history/body_kingsqueensbath.html
(Site Excerpt) After the dissolution of the monastery in 1539 the King's Bath
eventually came into the hands of the City Corporation. In the 16th century the
Queen's Bath was built on the south side. Throughout the 17th century Bath
became increasingly popular as a spa resort. The brass rings that can be seen
visible in the walls record grateful bathers cured by the water.
Medieval Health
http://www.hyw.com/books/history/Health.htm
(Site Excerpt) They didn't understand the science behind it, but they knew that
cleanliness was a good thing. Naturally, the nobles had an easier time keeping
themselves clean, as well as having well scrubbed servants in attendance.
Contrary to the popular myth, bathing was popular in the period. The clergy, who
wrote most of the surviving history, railed against the popular public baths.
These institutions, a descendant of the enormously popular Roman baths, were
often staffed by young women who did more than just pass the soap and towels.
The clergy didn't like it, the bathers did. However, bathing when the weather
was cooler and without benefit of a specially constructed and heated bathing
establishment could easily prove fatal.
Edited by Mark S. Harris Medvl-bathng-lnks Page 4 of 4